UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Gain Their Footing Against Northeastern

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

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After the cancellation of their scheduled game against Virginia Tech on Tuesday night, the North Carolina basketball team was able to find a replacement in Northeastern to play on Wednesday night. The Tar Heels got off to a great start, playing stifling defense, and did a good job of moving the ball on offense to get quality shots.

The Tar Heels did turnover the ball eight times in the first half, which allowed Northeastern to hang around before the Heels went on a run to extend their lead to double figures going into halftime. Throughout the game, the Heels made a great emphasis to get the ball inside to their big men. It opened the rest of their offense up, allowing their guards and wings to get wide-open shots.

However, UNC’s defense was the story of the game. Their tremendous defense allowed them to get out on the break and get easy baskets in transition, which is when Carolina is at its very best. In the second half, the Heels only had one turnover, picked up their defensive intensity even more, and extended their lead to as many as 22 points.

North Carolina held Northeastern to just 35% from the field and made it tough for them all game to get any rhythm on offense. The Tar Heels were excellent on both ends of the floor throughout the game and got good contributions from several players, which led to their 20-point victory. Day’Ron Sharpe had a very efficient 15 points and 8 rebounds in 19 minutes played.

UNC Game Stats

	1	2	T
North Carolina	41	41	82
Northeasters	30	32	62

North Carolina
		Pts	FG	3FG	FT	REB	A	TO	Min	/-
1 BLACK		2	1-2	0-1	0-0	2	3	0	24	0
2 LOVE		6	2-8	0-4	2-2	0	9	2	30	10
5 BACOT		9	4-9	0-0	1-2	8	0	3	20	-1
15 BROOKS	11	4-13	0-0	3-4	13	0	2	26	8
24 WALTON	14	5-10	3-7	1-1	2	2	1	29	8
3 PLATEK	9	4-5	1-2	0-0	3	0	1	15	22
4 DAVIS		4	0-4	0-1	4-4	2	3	0	15	20
11 SHARPE	15	7-14	0-0	1-1	8	1	1	19	21
13 KESSLER	10	4-8	1-2	1-2	7	2	0	12	12
22 MILLER	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	2	0
25 LEBO		2	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	2	0
30 SMITH	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	2	0
34 FARRIS	0	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	2	0
35 MCADOO	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	2	0
TOTALS		82	32-75	5-17	13-16	48	20	10
			42.7%	29.4%	81.3%

Northeastern
		Pts	FG	3FG	FT	REB	A	TO	Min	+/-
0 STRONG	5	2-11	1-8	0-0	3	2	0	29	10
2 WALKER	27	8-15	4-7	7-9	3	1	4	35	18
10 EBOIGBODIN	2	0-3	0-2	2-2	2	1	2	27	14
15 STUCKE	14	5-11	4-8	0-0	5	1	0	28	-8
24 WALTERS	2	1-6	0-1	0-0	4	1	4	26	20
1 CUBRILO	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	3	0
3 HADLEY	0	0-2	0-1	0-0	1	0	1	7	0
11 TELFORT	5	2-7	0-1	1-2	4	0	3	21	12
12 NWAGHA	4	2-2	0-0	0-0	5	1	1	13	-6
22 EMANGA	3	1-2	1-2	0-0	1	0	0	11	12
TOTALS		62	21-59	10-30	10-13	33	7	16
			35.6%	33.3%	76.9%

UNC Bright Spots

Dayron Sharpe had 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Kerwin Walton had 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.

Garrison Brooks had 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Walker Kessler had 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Needs Work

The Tar Heels need to do a better job of finishing around the basket. They missed too many layups and shots around the basket in this game.

Final Observations

This game against Northeastern was much needed for the Tar Heels. It was a definitely confidence booster for the Heels and should bode well for them going into this final stretch of the season.  It has been an up-and-down season for the Tar Heels.

When looking back once the season is over, this could be the turning point of the season for them. This is the best we have seen them play on both sides of the floor in the same game yet this season. The identity for this team is becoming more apparent and it’s showing out there on the court.

Going forward, Carolina will need to show some consistency in their play against tougher opponents if they want to improve their seeding going into the tournaments in March. Next up is Louisville on Saturday.